Former NXT Star Leon Ruff Debuts In AEW

Former NXT North American Champion Leon Ruff has made his All Elite Wrestling debut.

Leon Ruff first appeared on WWE TV in December 2019 and was used as an enhancement talent on Raw, SmackDown, NXT, and 205 Live for several months afterwards. He officially signed with the company in October 2020 and began training at the Performance Centre.

Ruff’s first victory in the company came on the November 11th edition of NXT that year when he defeated Johnny Gargano to shockingly become the NXT North American Champion.

Leon Ruff held the title for just under a month before Gargano won it back in a Triple Threat match at NXT TakeOver WarGames IV in a bout that also involved Damian Priest.

Ruff was released from his WWE contract on August 6th, 2021 as part of continuing cost-cutting measures in the company. Since then, he has appeared in several independent promotions including GCW and Jonathan Gresham’s Terminus.

Now, Leon Ruff has made his AEW debut, appearing on the latest AEW Dark tapings held in Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida. At the show, he competed in a losing effort against fellow NXT alumnus, Tony Nese.

Ruff was not the only star to debut at the tapings as former IMPACT Wrestling star Jake Something also had his first match in AEW, facing off against Jay Lethal.